Who Should Read This Chapter?

Before going on in this book, make sure you've read the introduction and installed Windows correctly on your computer (installation is explained in Chapter 4, "Installing Windows 2000"). When those hurdles are completed, you can return here to learn about the user interface. You may wonder why an advanced book such as this would include coverage of something as basic as the user interface. This is a decision that was primarily driven by the knowledge that many users of Windows 2000 Professional will be upgrading from Windows 3.x or NT 3.x machines that have seen their day. For those users, savvy as they may be with Windows concepts, the Windows 9x, NT 4, and 2000 interfaces are different enough to warrant full coverage. Even if you're a veteran user of the newer-style interface of Windows 9x and NT 4, you may be unaware of some features have been woven into Windows 2000 Professional; therefore, you should at least skim through this chapter.

As you read along, feel free to experiment because that's how you'll learn the most quickly. Experience is the best teacher, especially with computers, and you probably won't blow up your computer by trying stuff. When we think of a suggestion to keep the fire department (or more likely the tech support professional at $100 an hour) away from your house, we'll let you know.